


In The Thick Of It.

by 95liners



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, CEO Lee Taeyong, CEO Nakamoto Yuta, Gen, M/M, Morse Code, Multi, Polyamory, Sign Language, Taeyong Has Anxiety, WITHOUT SEX, Yuta Has Sports Injuries, character tags to be updated, doyoung and jaehyun are amazing best friends to yutae, not a sugar daddy au but basically a sugar daddy au, taeyong isnt really selectively mute he just has bad anxiety, taeyong sometimes just doesnt speak, triggers in tags
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-01
Updated: 2018-10-26
Packaged: 2019-07-05 08:55:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,318
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15860379
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/95liners/pseuds/95liners
Summary: The corporate world was never the same when Taeyong and Yuta powered through.Neither was Johnny Seo's life.





	1. The Firing.

**Author's Note:**

> i know i'm just making new fics without updating my others, but leave me ALONE.
> 
> i've been reading a lot of CEO (coughsugardaddy) fics recently and a friend of mine brought up CEO yuta and ... i had to.
> 
> however, i always have to have taeyong somewhere so he's here. and YES its poly because i have no control.
> 
> TRIGGERS - mentions of anxiety. nothing else.

“Mr …Mr Lee, sir?”

Taeyong’s gaze slowly travelled up, intense and piercing eyes blazing down the intern in front of him. The young man, twenty at most, resembled a frightened mouse now; hands wringing nervously behind his back, skin pale and clammy. He trembled under Taeyong’s stare, and the Korean could essentially _smell_ his fear.

“I … uh … -“ The intern – _Adam, if Taeyong remembered correctly. A foreigner._ – was cut off when Taeyong lifted a hand, flipping around a piece of paper and tapping on a sentence underlined in red. Adam walked over, knees threatening to buckle with every step. He leant over the desk slightly and processed the words printed, mouth dropping wide and desperate eyes flicking back up to Taeyong.

“No – p-please, sir, I-I’m sorry!” Adam’s protests faded in Taeyong’s ears as he made eye contact with Jaehyun – _his trusted personal assistant and one of his closest friends_ – and made another hand motion.

 _Take him away_.

Jaehyun stepped forward and began to lead Adam out, the man’s protests turning angry and threatening. _(Threatening to a lesser man than Taeyong, at least)_

“I-I’ll ruin you! I have connections! My dad, he’ll –“ The door shut with finality, and Taeyong slumped back in his chair and scrubbed a hand over his face. He picked up the paper and flicked it in the bin, the underlined _“attempted theft and extortion”_ crumpled and hidden from his sight. Taeyong opened his laptop up, booting up his emails, when a text came through on his phone.

**(TEXT) “Yuta” – 13:54, Monday.**

**_Yuta: you did it?_ **

**_Yuta: i can hear jaehyun’s voice and he sounds MAD_ **

**_Me: He’s gone._ **

**_Me: I don’t know how he thought he’d get away with stealing from us._ **

**_Me: And threatening to bribe us._ **

**_Yuta: americans_ **

**_Yuta: we got the only good one and that’s jaehyun and hes not even really american_ **

**_Yuta: he just lived there_ **

**_Me: That’s MY P.A you’re complimenting. Go be nice to your own._ **

**_Yuta: jaehyun is also MY best friend. doyoung is just a pain_ **

**_Me: Whatever._ **

**_Me: I have reports to finish and a call to make later._ **

**_Me: I may be home late – later than you, yes._ **

**_Yuta: okay; i’ve got a meeting anyway in 20min_ **

**_Yuta: love u baby, see u later_ **

**_Me: Love you too._ **

**_Me: See you later._ **

 

* * *

 

Yuta had just gotten home from his meeting – the meeting that had _drastically_ ran overtime. He was in the elevator, already loosening his tie and running a hand through gelled, honey-brown hair. A glimpse in the mirror reflected just how tired the Japanese man felt – too tired for his twenty-five years of living.

The meeting had been with an important company, an important and potential business partner. Yuta had been planning for this meeting for _months_ , working the CEO with his sweet words and charisma, and it had all boiled down to this moment.

The elevator let out a soft _ding!_ and the doors opened, the hallway to Yuta and Taeyong’s apartment appearing.

Their _penthouse_ apartment.

The floor – the fiftieth floor of the apartment complex – was completely void except for the short hallway and one door, the door that lead into the _humongous_ apartment that Taeyong and Yuta both lived in.

It took only five minutes for Yuta to move and unlock his door, letting it shut with a soft _click!_ behind him and the small whirring of the automatic gears securing the door.

Quiet footsteps padded across the floor and Yuta whipped around, a tired grin spreading across his face when he saw Taeyong – sweet, loving Taeyong. Taeyong who was freshly showered and changed out of his corporate suit, Taeyong who was wearing grey sweats and a ratty, holey college hoodie that Yuta _knew_ was his.

Taeyong that had completely changed from intense and tough Lee Taeyong, co-CEO of NakaLee Technology, to Lee Taeyong, Yuta’s loving boyfriend of ten years.

“Tae!” The only warning Taeyong got before Yuta jumped into his arms was his frantic removal of his shoes and the wicked grin in his eyes. “I got it! I got us the deal!”

Taeyong gently pushed Yuta back to search his eyes, mirroring Yuta’s own grin when he detected nothing but the truth. Yuta was pulled back in for a long kiss, of loving and _“I knew you could do it_ ,”.

“We got Samsung, Tae. We got Samsung with us.”

 

* * *

 

A few hours later, and Taeyong was curled up against Yuta on the couch. He was half-asleep, letting out soft crooning sounds whenever Yuta dragged his fingers through his black strands, still slightly damp from his shower.

“You did the right thing, Yong,” Yuta whispered, fingers occasionally trailing down to trace his boyfriend’s chiselled jaw before returning to soft hair. “I’m never able to do what you can do – fire people like that, even when they deserve it. Especially when they deserve it.”

Taeyong lightly tapped his knee in rapid succession, Yuta chuckling softly and smoothing his thumb over the other’s temple.

“I am a bleeding heart, baby – I’m _your_ bleeding heart, though.” Yuta could hear the soft exhale of air, could feel Taeyong’s silent giggles. He made up for his boyfriend’s silence with his own laughter, tugging him up and into his lap. Taeyong whined softly – a quiet sound, bubbling from his throat – as Yuta peppered his face in kisses. He squirmed and moved until he was more comfortable; legs thrown over the side of the couch, head nestled into Yuta’s shoulder and his back supported by his boyfriend’s arm.

“You feeling okay, baby? I haven’t heard you speak since this morning.” Taeyong shrugged, tapping Yuta’s chest this time. “Anxiety? Nightmares?”

When Taeyong nodded, tapping only once, Yuta could feel his heart constricting and pulled the older male closer, dropping a kiss to his crown.

“Well … I’ll tell you what. I know how much you love finding new interns – that can be our focus for the next few days,” Yuta murmured, laughing softly when Taeyong shot him a _‘really?’_ look. “You know you love it, Yong. It’s fine, I trust you.”

A series of taps on Yuta’s chest, above his heart, conveyed to Yuta all that he needed to know.

_I love you too._


	2. The Hiring.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 'When Jaehyun finally got to sit down and breathe, he flipped through the pages of the interns Taeyong wanted.
> 
> There was only one applicant circled in red, annotated with Taeyong’s neat handwriting and Yuta’s godawful scrawl.'

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i just wrote this in, like 20 minutes after i wrote the first chapter.
> 
> y'all are SPOILED for content when i'm not starving you guys.
> 
> an update schedule will be over the place as i'm studying and working, but i'll try and fix it after my exams. for now, it's whenever i can write and update.
> 
> TRIGGERS; mentions of injuries.

“Yuta –”

Taeyong looked up at Doyoung’s voice – Yuta’s personal assistant, one of their good friends from university, and a pain in the ass but great employee. He shifted from where he was standing behind his boyfriend, moving over to smile warmly at the younger male and take the papers from him.

“What do you want, Do?” Yuta’s tone was flat and uninterested, and a lesser man would’ve cowered, but Kim Doyoung was no lesser man. With a strong stance and an even stronger bitch face, Doyoung took the papers from Taeyong’s arms and pushed them in front of the Japanese male.

“Here’s the interns you asked for, _Yuta_. Read through it with your remaining braincells,” Doyoung snapped, his words hard and clipped. Their icy exchange elicited a sigh from Taeyong, gently pushing Doyoung into the nearest seat as he picked up the papers once more.

“It’s too early for this, boys,” Taeyong murmured, voice slightly hoarse from disuse. It was the next day, and he’d only murmured a soft _“good morning, darling”_ to Yuta this morning and soft laughter when his boyfriend had tripped over their cat. Anxiety still thrummed lightly under his skin, but not as bad as yesterday – nowhere near as bad.

“You feeling better, Tae?” Doyoung asked, Taeyong nodding with a _“yes”_ in response, and turned back to Yuta.

“Yuta, I’ll go through these now, okay? Yuta?” Taeyong’s words were coaxing, pulling Yuta out of his work haze and back into reality. The male nodded, a gummy grin spreading across his face, and he stood up to pull Taeyong closer and kiss him slowly.

_(All whilst Doyoung fake-gagged in the background)_

“See you for lunch, baby boy,” Yuta murmured, smiling when Taeyong flushed a deep red and shoved him backwards. Yuta blew a flirty kiss as his partner turned and hurriedly left the office, leaving him alone with Doyoung.

“Can you _not_ flirt in front of me? It’s like watching my parents,” Doyoung griped, standing up and grabbing Yuta’s empty cup of coffee to refill it. A balled-up piece of paper flew and nailed the Korean on the head, a vein almost bursting on his neck. “You _dick!_ ”

“Don’t be a dumbass, then, and I’ll stop throwing shit at you.”

“You’re such an _asshole_ , why do I keep working for you?”

“Love you too, bitch.”

“What _ever_.”

 

* * *

 

Taeyong looked up from his papers to see Jaehyun walking in, holding a tray of steaming food from the cafeteria. _Today must be Western-themed,_ he mused to himself as he pushed papers to the side and made room for the food.

“Western-themed, Yong; I got you some steak and mash. It’s great and I didn’t eat any on the way up.” Taeyong smiled softly at that comment – Jaehyun was definitely lying. The younger grinned bashfully and slid the tray in front of the male, pulling out his phone to text someone.

“Yuta’s on his way now, boss.” Taeyong bristled at that word, knowing Jaehyun used it just to annoy him. “Because it’s Yuta and you’re you, I’m going to head out for lunch. I’ll be around twenty minutes, but I’ve got my phone and Doyoung’s coming with me.”

“Go – I’ll definitely need you here by four, at the latest,” Taeyong said, nodding to Jaehyun’s words from before. “You’ll be going through my final list of interns and calling them in for interviews, okay? I aim to find one in the next two days.”

“You got it, Mr Boss-Man. I’ll do your every wi- hey!” Jaehyun dodged Taeyong throwing a piece of paper at him, scrambling to leave. “I’ll be back, okaybyeTaeyong!”

Taeyong sighed softly, sinking back in his chair and closing his eyes. Jaehyun was a great personal assistant; another close friend of his and Yuta’s, Jaehyun was the youngest of the four friends but he worked hard to keep up. He was Taeyong’s assistant but helped Yuta with international dealings, as he was fluent in English and lived in America for his childhood. Jaehyun was like a little brother to Taeyong, someone he’d protect with his life and more.

_(A better little brother than his actual brother, seeing as Jaehyun bothers to keep contact)_

His musings would’ve continued had the door not opened and the refreshing expression of Nakamoto Yuta appeared in the opening. Taeyong was up on his feet, moving over to take the tray off his boyfriend’s hands and let him walk in.

_(He’d noticed Yuta’s slight limp from the morning, and how he had itched to grab the retractable cane that sat on his side of the bed. Since then, Taeyong went the extra mile to make his boyfriend’s day easier)_

“Jaehyun and Doyoung are heading out for lunch, but Jae will be back before four. I assume Doyoung will be back around the same time,” Taeyong updated Yuta and helped him settle down in a seat.

“Fucking Doyoung, him and his starry eyes for your pretty boy,” Yuta muttered not unkindly; if anything, he sounded like he was trying not to be proud. Doyoung and Yuta argued _constantly_ , but the two had a friendship that ran deep for the decade they’ve known each other. Nothing like Taeyong and Yuta’s, not at all, but Doyoung was the Jaehyun to Yuta’s Taeyong – he meant a lot to the Japanese male, and Taeyong knew that Yuta would go above and beyond for his best friend’s happiness.

“Jaehyun is a pretty boy.” Taeyong’s tone was teasing, smiling coyly when Yuta’s head snapped up, expression dark. He bit into his mash, slightly pursing his lips and cocking his head innocently.

“You little – you’re lucky my hip hurts, or I’d have you right now,” Yuta hissed, and Taeyong flushed for a moment before the rest of Yuta’s words processed.

“Wh- do you have your medication?” Delving into his bag, Taeyong procured a small box of tablets and pushed them over to Yuta. “Here – _you’re_ lucky I noticed this morning and brought your backups. Take them and _lie down_.”

Yuta grumbled as the pills were forced into his hand, but half an hour later when the pain had receded, and he was taking a quick nap on Taeyong’s couch, Yuta was definitely _not_ complaining.

 

* * *

 

 

“You’re so dumb, you know?”

Jaehyun couldn’t stop the laughter escaping him at Doyoung’s words – giggles bubbling from his throat, happy and unrestrained. He could see Doyoung fighting a fond smile, leaning in to press a chaste kiss to his cheek.

“And you’re dumber for liking me, Do, but you’re still here.”

Doyoung muttered something under his breath – something that sounded awfully like _you’re right, I am dumb_ – but he pulled the younger closer and kissed his hair.

“Thanks for taking me out today – I was really going mad with Yuta. His hip is acting up, so he’s crankier than usual,” Doyoung explained, words muffled by brown curls, and Jaehyun nodded against his boyfriend’s(?) shoulder.

_(Were they dating yet? Was it still in the pre-relationship stage? Jaehyun had absolutely no clue)_

“Taeyong’s feeling better today – he’s actually talking. I think he was shaken up over what happened with Adam yesterday.” Jaehyun sounded sad, and Doyoung could easily glean up – he knew that the other male looked up to Taeyong like a younger brother would, and cared deeply for him. Whereas Taeyong and Yuta had a connection that ran deeper than anyone’s he’d ever seen, the relationship with Taeyong and Jaehyun was _intense_ , deep. They were truly brothers, _family_.

The elevator let out a _ding!_ as they arrived at their floor – the penthouse of the NakaLee Tech building – and the doors opened. It took a few seconds for Jaehyun to bear detangling from Doyoung, but they finally managed to extricate from each other and leave the elevator.

“I’d better go and get His Highness before he throws a fit,” Doyoung muttered, but Jaehyun could hear the underlying fondness for Yuta. He laughed softly, kissing Doyoung softly and briefly, before heading back into Taeyong’s office.

Yuta had disappeared, and the two trays from before were neatly stacked on the coffee table. Taeyong was on the phone – _(he looked tense, way too tense for it to be a business call)_ – but he tapped the papers on the table and Jaehyun immediately took them, along with the trays, and left.

When Jaehyun finally got to sit down and _breathe_ , he flipped through the pages of the interns Taeyong wanted.

There was only one applicant circled in red, annotated with Taeyong’s neat handwriting and Yuta’s godawful scrawl.

_(‘This one, Jaehyun.’ ‘hes cute’ ‘Stop it’)_

Jaehyun sighed, opening up his emails and already typing out the message he’d send off.

 

* * *

 

 

**_25 th of June, 2018_ **

**_Seoul, South Korea_ **

****

**_Dear Seo Youngho / Johnny Seo_ **

_It is my pleasure to inform you that Lee Taeyong and Nakamoto Yuta, of Nakamoto & Lee Technology, wish to extend an interview to you. This interview is what is required before you may be offered an unpaid internship with NakaLee Tech. This opportunity could be very beneficial to you and your future, and I highly recommend you taking this chance. Please respond to this email, or call me at XXX-XXXX-XXXX, within 24 hours to confirm your appearance for the interview. _

_If not, your chance will move to another recipient. We have a long waitlist._

_I hope we may talk further in the future, Mr Seo._

_Regards, Jung Jaehyun._

**_Personal Assistant to Lee Taeyong, Nakamoto & Lee Technology._ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> finally johnny is being introduced.


	3. The Interview

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 'His entire demeanour changed, no longer the nervous Taeyong that was worrying for his injured boyfriend or stressed over meetings.
> 
> He was CEO Lee Taeyong and he was one of the most influential men in the business world.'

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello again!
> 
> sorry to make everyone wait so long - i had 6 exams in three days. it was HELL, and i took a break from studying furiously for NEXT WEEK'S exams to write this chapter.
> 
> we finally get to see johnny! i'll be adding character tags as they get introduced, too. if they're mentioned in the fic and are not in the tags, however, they aren't important. really, only nct members will be in the tags.
> 
> TW: injuries and mentions of hospitals.

Yuta woke up to fur on his face and an empty bed.

“Taeyong?” He pulled himself up, relocating Ansel – Taeyong’s stray cat he’d found on the street three years back and couldn’t give up when no owner was found – to the side before pulling on his slippers and heading out into the apartment.

Yawning, Yuta slowly padded over to where Taeyong was hunched over the kitchen table, sheets upon sheets of numbers and information scattered like leaves in front of him. His hands rested upon Taeyong’s slight shoulders, thumbs smoothing over the tense muscle.

“Morning, babe – why are you poring over this so early?” Yuta murmured, leaning down to press a kiss to Taeyong’s neck. The older male hummed softly as he leant back against his boyfriend’s bare chest, holding up one of the papers.

It was a profile, done up by Jaehyun the day before; Yuta could clearly make out the harried scribbles done in pencil, obviously last-minute comments from the PA.

 

The profile in question was about the intern the two had chosen – Johnny Seo. He’d immediately piqued Taeyong’s interest when they’d been going through the applicants, calling Yuta over to check out the male.

Johnny was their age – twenty-five years old – and was currently studying at Seoul National University, majoring in Business and Business Administration. He was half-Korean, half-American, spoke English fluently, got top grades in his classes and had some impressive references down.

Still, Taeyong had been unsure at first, whether they should extend the application to just _one_ male; what if Johnny wasn’t good enough? With more applicants, Taeyong and Yuta wouldn’t have to go through the tedious processes again.

Yet … Johnny was _so_ impressive, and everyone else paled in comparison.

 

“… Tae?” Yuta could see Taeyong drifting off – thinking about everything and everything; he had a bad habit of getting lost in his own thoughts – and quickly brought him back into reality. “You’re worried about Johnny? It’ll be fine, Yong – _you_ picked him and listened to your intuition, did you not?”

Yuta pulled Taeyong’s chair around to face him, smiling warmly and swinging a leg over his boyfriend’s lap. He perched atop Taeyong, letting the other’s arms automatically wrap around him and hold him steady.

“And Lee Taeyong’s intuition never fails.”

 

* * *

 

“Hey, Johnny!”

Johnny Seo’s head snapped up, just in time to see his best friend barrel into him and knock him over.

Chittaphon Leechaiyapornkul – _Ten, he’d say to call him_ – was five feet seven of pure _chaos_. His dark-blue hair was styled frantically ( _“yet chic!”_ ) and he somehow made old sweatpants, a ratty university hoodie and Nike slides look like couture fashion.

“What – _Ten!_ ” Johnny groaned as he pushed himself back up, shutting his laptop lid halfway. Ten grinned and settled down next to the Korean-American, excitedly grabbing his arm and shoving the laptop open again.

It revealed an email from Mr Jung Jaehyun, personal assistant to Lee Taeyong.

 

Yes, _Lee Taeyong_. One half of Nakamoto  & Lee Technology, an upcoming tycoon in the business world. Johnny had always been a lover of business and anything related to it; his father had been a successful CEO, and he wanted to be the same.

And anyone who knows _anything_ about the business world knows Lee Taeyong and Nakamoto Yuta. They were two of the youngest CEOs ever, having made it on Forbes 30 under 30 and countless other articles. Asides from his father, the duo were Johnny’s biggest inspirations; they were all the same age yet Taeyong and Yuta had done _so much_ already.

Johnny only wished he could say the same.

 

“- Johnny! You did _not_ tell me that you got an internship at NakaLee!” Ten’s exclamations brought Johnny back to Earth, the older male immediately striking to cover Ten’s mouth and quieten him.

“Shut _up_! I don’t want anyone knowing – what if I don’t get in? People will get mad too – it’s so competitive,” he bemoaned as he held the shaking Ten, pausing in his own thoughts. “Wait a minute … how come _you_ know?”

Ten pushed Johnny off of him to turn, facing him now. He pulled up his phone, displaying the group chat that he was in.

**_(KAKAOTALK) “hoes” – 08:58, Wednesday_ **

**_bambam into the room:_ ** _hey tenopher_

**_8910:_ ** _shut ur whore mouth bambam_

_what do you want_

**_han river:_ ** _now now children_

_shut the fuck up_

**_8910:_ ** _jeonghan who let u back in here_

_i don’t fuck with demons, i told you_

**_han river:_ ** _you sure loved me_

**_bambam into the room:_ ** _SHUT UP FORONCE AND LISTEN TO ME_

_guess what i heard?_

**_kun:_ ** _what did u hear_

**_8910:_ ** _kun u only appear for tea istg_

**_kun:_ ** _love u too_

**_bambam into the room:_ ** _im surprised johnny didn’t tell u yet, ten_

_aren’t yall best friends?_

**_8910:_ ** _closest of the close, u bitch_

_and what does he have to do with it?_

**_bambam into the room:_ ** _mr seo here_

_got an_

_INTERNSHIP AT NAKALEE_

**_han river:_ ** _WHAT THE FUCK_

**_kun:_ ** _HOLY SHIT_

_THAT’S AWESOME_

_AND IM JEALOUS BUT ITS AWESOME_

**_8910:_ ** _EXCUSE ME I HAVE TO GO BEAT UP A KOREAN AMERICAN FOR KEEPING THIS FROM ME_

_BUT IM ALSO HAPPY FOR HIM_

Johnny sighed, ignoring Ten’s grins as he pushed the phone away. Everyone would know by now – Bambam had no filter, no sense of respect and no self-control. He would’ve told everyone by now.

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you … I just wanted to organise everything and get it ready,” Johnny admitted, looking back up to Ten. Confusion bloomed across the Thai’s face – Johnny had seemed so out-of-it, so quiet, that he didn’t think the other male even wanted it.

That was, until Ten saw the _sent_ email to Jaehyun, detailing that he will be attending the interview at midday. Johnny’s poker face finally broke, grinning widely as he pulled his best friend in for a tight hug.

Johnny was going to work with his idols – he was going to ace this interview and work under Lee Taeyong and Nakamoto Yuta.

 

* * *

 

“Yuta?” Doyoung opened the door to the CEO’s office, closing it quietly behind him. Balancing a coffee and two, huge, stacks of papers proved too much for the male and the papers fluttered to the ground. Doyoung cursed quietly, setting his coffee down and immediately crouching to pick it all up.

“I have some forms for you, and your 12:30 is waiting outside with Sicheng. I have a coffee for you – God knows you need it – and I also have to remind you about that blasted deal with O – Yuta?”

Doyoung’s gaze travelled up when he heard no response from Yuta – nothing, not even a scathing remark about his clumsiness – and his eyes widened when he saw the Japanese male hunched over in his chair.

Yuta’s face was pinched tight, paler than usual, and his fingers were digging harshly into his upper thigh. Every so often, Yuta’s body would spasm lightly and his chair would jostle slightly, bumping lightly into the desk.

“Yuta!” Doyoung immediately rushed over to the male, crouching in front of him and gently prying his fingers from his thigh. A pained groan choked out of Yuta when Doyoung barely brushed his leg, body reacting violently and muscles spasming. “Hey – Yuta, look at me?”

Doyoung pushed sweaty hair off Yuta’s forehead and pushed his chin up gently, making him lock gazes with the Korean. Tears pooled in brown eyes, spilling over slowly and trailing down his skin. Doyoung felt fear blossom in his chest – he hadn’t seen his best friend in so much pain in _years_. Yuta had gotten so much better with taking his medication, and Taeyong was usually there when Yuta _did_ slip up.

It hadn’t been this bad since university, when Yuta first gained the injury.

“I’m going to call Taeyong, okay? Don’t give me that look, Nakamoto Yuta – you forgot again, didn’t you?” Yuta’s only response was a pained whimper, and sympathy bled from Doyoung despite his tough words. “He’s going to take your 12:30, he’ll be _fine_ , and I’m going to take you directly to the hospital.”

 

It took a good ten minutes to organise everything, ten minutes of Doyoung calling from Sicheng to Jaehyun to Taeyong whilst Yuta pretended he was crying into Doyoung’s shoulder, but he was finally taking Yuta downstairs to his car.

Jaehyun was on the other side of the male – _(“I had to threaten bodily harm to Taeyong to make sure he’d stay and handle the meeting,” Jaehyun had admitted upon leaving his boss’ office)_ – and they had taken the service elevator to avoid everyone’s eyes.

Yuta, at this point, was slightly better; Doyoung had made him take his medication, and he could use his injured leg better than before. Doyoung could still tell he wasn’t feeling amazing, judging purely by Yuta’s silence and lack of sarcasm.

“You’ll be fine, dumbass,” he griped, causing Yuta to stumble slightly and look at his best friend. “Taeyong’s got this shit on lock, and I won’t leave you to fend for yourself at the hospital. You got us.”

Doyoung, out of respect for his best friend, pretended that he didn’t see the teary smile on Yuta’s face.

 

* * *

 

Last-minute meetings were Taeyong’s most-hated things; he never handled meetings, Yuta always took control and handled the negotiations.

Yuta, however, was out of commission right now and Taeyong had to be the CEO he was and step up.

“He’s in there, Taeyong.” Sicheng’s soft voice pulled Taeyong out of his daze, the Chinese receptionist smiling up at Taeyong and gently pushed him towards the meeting room. “He looks intimidating, but I chatted with him and he just has a resting bitch face.”

“Thanks, Sicheng,” Taeyong murmured, returning the other’s smile before he turned back to the door. Immediately – _(Sicheng had seen this so many times; it never failed to give him shivers)_ – Taeyong … changed. His expression melted into a confident, yet intimidating, look and he pulled himself taller. His entire demeanour changed, no longer the nervous Taeyong that was worrying for his injured boyfriend or stressed over meetings.

He was CEO Lee Taeyong and he was one of the most influential men in the business world.

The door pushed open and Taeyong strode through, hands in his pockets, and made eye contact with the male sitting at the end of the table.

“Good afternoon, Mr Seo. Sorry to keep you waiting, there was a situation. My name is Lee Taeyong, and I’ll be conducting your interview today.”

 

* * *

 

Johnny opened his door to Ten sitting at his kitchen island, the apartment cleaned and cake sitting on the counter. An eyebrow raised, he walked over to the other and looked down at the food.

“ _’Congratulations!’_ What if I hadn’t gotten it?” Johnny muttered and Ten’s face immediately fell, standing up to wrap an arm around Johnny.

“You … you didn’t get it?” Ten’s voice was soft, apologetic, and Johnny shot a look at him – a look that went from upset to excited and ecstatic.

“I sure _did_ get it!” Johnny immediately swung Ten into his arms, whooping from the two best friends echoing throughout the apartment.

“I got it! I got the internship, Ten!” Johnny buried his face in Ten’s hair – freshly washed, probably from being cheap and using Johnny’s shower – and felt his cheeks hurt from grinning. “I’m going to be an intern at NakaLee, Ten.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i kinda write like a dramatic soap opera but its fine its fine its FINE
> 
> i'm gonna do a fic rec because i love these fics and like, check them out? i might make this a thing where i rec three every time i upload, mayhaps? (feel free to rec any in the comments or plug ur own if u want)
> 
> 1\. [Living Costs](https://archiveofourown.org/works/14150934) by AgentExile - this fic, alongside a friend on twitter, inspired me to do a ceo yujohntae fic. def in my recent top 3  
> 2\. [Amor Vincit Omnia](https://archiveofourown.org/works/15465666) by JustCallMeJo - YOOO this fic is one of my absolute FAVOURITES at the moment! its absolutely AMAZING, check it OUT  
> 3\. [Lee Taeyong Loves Three (3) Boys"](https://archiveofourown.org/works/15483297) by bubblebubblebubbletea - this fic is also one of my absolute favourites and i love it. i love ot3s and i love yuta and taeyong and jaehyun. i love this fic a LOT
> 
> anyway BYE.


	4. The First Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 'Taeyong’s office looked … expensive. He had a large mahogany desk, and two couches with very expensive looking throw pillows. He had some trinkets on his desk, and a large full-length window showed an impressive view of Seoul behind him.
> 
> Still, it looked empty and very business-like – as did its owner at his desk.'

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IM FINALLY BACK
> 
> no tw's for this chap uwu
> 
> anyway i may disappear again bc i always do but im GRADUATING HIGH SCHOOL in three weeks!!!!!

“You’ll be fine, baby, I know you’ll do well.”

Yuta stood up – ignoring the horrified look and harried protests from Taeyong – and hobbled over to his boyfriend. Ignoring the twinges of pain in his injured leg, Yuta gently cupped his boyfriend’s face in his hands and kissed him slowly.

It was obvious that Taeyong was nervous – it wasn’t often he had to act as the CEO without his boyfriend by his side. Yuta knew Taeyong could go above and beyond everyone else; his boyfriend had what the Japanese male didn’t, and that was _intense_ ambition and hunger for success. Yuta could see it in Taeyong’s determination to stay up and finish documents months before they were even due, and how he would immediately home in on exactly how to attack a deal and reap the best benefits.

However, Taeyong never fared well when it came to engage with other business partners that he didn’t have a connection with, especially when he didn’t have Yuta around.

_(They had discovered this after a truly awful meeting with Choi Corp – luckily, Seungcheol was one of the most understanding individuals ever and had quickly become a fast friend of Taeyong and Yuta)_

“I …” Taeyong began to speak, anxiety clawing at his throat and causing his words to choke off. His expression turned pained and he pressed his forehead to Yuta’s, whimpering softly.

“You’ll be fine, Taeyong,” Yuta repeated, voice soft and calming, “and you know it. You don’t have any meetings today, and Doyoung will be helping you with the new intern. You’ll have Jaehyun and Sicheng with you, and I’m only a phone call away.”

“Will you … be coming for lunch?” Taeyong’s voice was nothing more than a faint whisper, but it was steady and carried some more confidence than before. Yuta hummed softly, biting his lip in thought, and he lazily draped his arms around Taeyong’s neck.

_(He’d never admit that he did that to stabilise himself; his leg was just hurting too much)_

“Maybe … the wheelchair they stuck me in seems like overkill, but I would like to come out and see you,” Yuta murmured softly, lips just barely ghosting over Taeyong’s. The air suddenly turned hotter, Taeyong’s hands moving to rest on Yuta’s thin waist and hold him closer.

“Call me if you end up coming.” Taeyong leant in to kiss Yuta slowly, fingers clutching his boyfriend’s sleep shirt tightly, before he slowly pulled away and finished tying his tie and pulling his suit jacket on. “I can’t have breakfast, sorry – I’m going to have to get in early and meet with Jaehyun, so he knows what to do with Johnny, and then I have that meeting with Seungcheol.”

“Don’t have too much fun without me, precious.” Yuta was teasing Taeyong now, grinning at the Korean’s deep flush, and hobbled back to the bed to flop down. Taeyong quickly snatched up his shoes and phone, kissed Yuta one last time, a fading _“love you!”_ the only thing remaining that morning.

 

* * *

 

Entering NakaLee as a prospective intern was intimidating but entering as an _actual_ intern was even worse.

Ten had made breakfast for Johnny that morning, in honour of his new internship, and had sent him off with a tight hug and a _“good luck!”_

It was like a _dream_ – Johnny had only imagined working in a corporation like NakaLee, running a multimillionaire company that was teased to grow international. At such a young age, to have achieved what Yuta and Taeyong did … it was astounding.

“Mr Seo?”

Johnny was startled out of his reverie, nodding rather dumbly, before he finally regained his bearings. In front of him was a shorter male – _(of course he was shorter, everyone was shorter than Johnny)_ – in an impeccable suit, light-brown hair slicked off his face and into a stylish coif. He looked every bit the polished businessman despite his baby face and the hint of laughter in his eyes.

“I, uh, yes! I’m Mr Seo …” Johnny’s words were stumbling over themselves and choppy, but he hadn’t made _that_ much of an embarrassment of himself. He pulled himself taller, subtly clutching his bag to his side, and ignored his old leather shoes in comparison to the other’s shiny, obviously _expensive_ ones.

“I’m Jaehyun, Mr Lee’s secretary. Follow me?” Jaehyun inclined his head to the direction of the elevators, Johnny following along and catching up just as the doors opened and people got out.

“You’ll be working with Doyoung and I throughout your internship,” Jaehyun began as he flashed a security card at the elevator and pressed a multitude of buttons ending with the 100th, the doors closing and immediately climbing up the floors. “You’ll report to myself or Doyoung, or the CEOs themselves. You won’t really engage with the other departments unless it is through the CEOs.”

Johnny nodded, taking in the information, before his head shot up and revelation dawned on his face.

“Wait, I’m … my internship is as a _secretary_?”

Jaehyun nodded slowly, looking rather … Johnny couldn’t decipher his expression, actually.

“Yes … what did you think it was?”

Johnny shrugged sheepishly, looking smaller than he actually was.

“I thought it was going to be in a less … important area, and not directly under the CEOs themselves. That’s … a bit more intimidating, but it sounds fun.” Johnny didn’t want to lie – he wanted to be honest – but he also didn’t want to appear as if he wasn’t qualified at all.

To his surprise, Jaehyun’s ‘tough’ persona broke and he shot the older male a winning smile, lighting up the atmosphere drastically.

“You’ll be fine, Johnny – Mr Lee and Mr Nakamoto are aware that even though you’re very qualified, you’re still an intern. Plus, you’ll have Doyoung and I, and the receptionist Sicheng will help you loads.”

Jaehyun’s switch from businesslike and imposing to friendly and warm gave Johnny whiplash, and he could only manage a shaky – but growing more confident by the second – smile in return.

 

* * *

 

“Doyoung, _please_ , I can do this myself-”

Johnny watched in slight amusement as Jaehyun argued softly with Doyoung – Kim Doyoung, Yuta’s PA and vastly more intimidating than Jaehyun was – over sorting a very important job – Taeyong’s lunch.

Johnny hadn’t seen the man all day; Jaehyun had informed him that he was very busy as Yuta wasn’t there that day and had to meet up with Choi Seungcheol for a morning meeting.

In all honesty, Johnny was really enjoying his internship – it was weird, and Johnny had only followed Jaehyun around in the morning as he went about his work, but he was growing to like it and his company wasn’t bad. Johnny had made quick friends with Sicheng the receptionist and Jaehyun, and Doyoung seemed to be warming up to him.

“John – hey, Johnny!” Johnny’s head snapped up at Jaehyun’s call, immediately moving over to where the other males were. “Here, can you take this into Taeyong’s office please?”

“M-Me?” Johnny’s jaw slowly, but surely, dropped. Why couldn’t Jaehyun or Doyoung do it?

“Because we have to meet someone downstairs,” Doyoung huffed, and Johnny realised too late that he’d said that out loud. “We’ll be ten minutes at most, but Taeyong is huffy and he’ll want to eat now.”

“I … okay,” Johnny murmured, picking up the tray and managing a weak smile as Jaehyun clapped his shoulder gently. The two PAs immediately walked off, and Sicheng shot him a small smile and mouthed _“he’s free”_ before Johnny finally worked up his nerve and pushed the door open with his shoulder.

Taeyong’s office looked … expensive. He had a large mahogany desk, and two couches with very expensive looking throw pillows. He had some trinkets on his desk, and a large full-length window showed an impressive view of Seoul behind him.

Still, it looked empty and very business-like – as did its owner at his desk.

Taeyong was on the phone with someone, eyebrows pinched tightly and hunched over slightly in his chair. He looked up when Johnny walked in before vaguely gesturing to his desk, moving to stand up and pace around.

It took longer than usual, but Johnny was just setting the tray of hot soup and assorted sides down on Taeyong’s desk when he heard the man speak, tone clipped and hard.

“What do you _mean_ that you’re back?”

 

* * *

 

“Fatass, you could’ve saved us the back ache and brought your wheelchair,” Doyoung huffed, carrying Yuta on his back as Jaehyun smugly held the bag of bibimbap beside him. Yuta thumped his hip with his good leg, hissing a _“respect your elders”_ to Doyoung, as the elevator doors opened to the office level.

“Honey, we’re home!” Jaehyun made his way over to Sicheng, a lilt in his step, and promptly had a cheek kiss to Sicheng rejected.

“Go kiss your not-boyfriend,” the Chinese receptionist snapped, Doyoung and Yuta cackling as Jaehyun pouted. Sicheng glared up at the PA, silence reigning between the two for a solid thirty seconds, before Sicheng sighed and leant up to hug Jaehyun.

“You big baby – get Yuta into his office so he can see his clingy boyfriend,” Sicheng muttered, ignoring Jaehyun’s wide grin.

_(And Doyoung’s fond one)_

“Is he free?” Yuta asked as Doyoung walked him past Sicheng, the man nodding.

“Yeah – the new intern is in there. I heard Taeyong talking before, so maybe they’re discussing something?”

Yuta nodded and turned his head as Jaehyun opened the doors, showing the four (Sicheng had popped his head up to see what was going on) exactly what was happening in the room.

Johnny was precariously perched on a couch, immediately shooting up when the doors opened, and he saw Yuta – _Nakamoto Yuta!_ – alongside the two PAs. Taeyong was facing away from everyone, and a frown adorned Yuta’s face when he noticed the tenseness of his boyfriend’s shoulders.

“Taeyong?”

Doyoung helped Yuta to the couches, letting Johnny hesitate before taking Yuta’s arm and steadying the male, as Taeyong immediately turned around and visibly relaxed at the sight of his lover. He must’ve cut off whoever was speaking, biting out a clipped _“I have to go”_ before hanging up and dragging his chair to sit across from the others.

“Hey, you came for lunch.” Taeyong’s tone was soft, and Yuta immediately relaxed at his boyfriend’s comforting presence. He gently shook himself from the others and sat down, letting Johnny and Doyoung move to stand near Jaehyun.

“Hey – boss!” Taeyong immediately turned to glare at a grinning Jaehyun, who had both Doyoung and Johnny behind him. “I’m going to take Johnny out for lunch, unless you need him?”

“No, feel free to do so. Thanks for the lunch too, Johnny.” Taeyong’s voice was soft, unlike his tense tone before, and he could see Johnny relax slightly before nodding his head in a respectful incline.

 

* * *

 

_(“He’s fitting in well?”_

_“Yeah – I didn’t see him all morning, though. I was out with Cheol for a meeting, and then I … got a call.”_

_…_

_“Oh. Was it …?”_

_“Yes.”)_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> my babies yutae i love them
> 
> also winwin loves jaehyun like a bro

**Author's Note:**

> ty isnt selectively mute, he just has bad anxiety and when i get mad anxiety i never wanna talk or interact. his anxiety is modelled off of mine (sometimes amplified a bit) because whilst all anxiety for all people is different, i can base his off of real experiences and thats mine.
> 
> also ty and yt know sign language and morse code for when ty or yt need to talk and they can't, or if they wanna talk around ppl without others being able to understand.


End file.
